Rolling mill



Nov. 6, 1928.

J. R. GEORGE ROLLING MILL Filed July 9, 1925 13227572 For: J-rome 7?, Gec v ge 2 dt m'ngv Patented Nov. 6, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEROME B. GEORGE, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOE TO MORGAN CON- STBUCTION COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAS- SACHUSETTS.

Application filed July 9,

The present invention relates generally to rolling mills. The invention resides in a novel disposition of the stands of rolls in a continuous or semi-continuous merchant mill,

in combinationwvith a special arrangement of driving instrumentalities therefor, all contributin to a greater flexibility and a wider range 0 selective operation than has heretofore been possible in mills of this class.

The features and advantages of the invention are fully set forth in the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which the single figure 1s a diagrammatic plan view of rolling mill ap paratus combined and arranged in accorcance with the invention;

Referring to said drawing, the preliminary reduction of the stock, as received from a heating furnace 1, is preferably effected by a pair of adjacent stands of rolls 2, 2, arranged for continuous operation and delivering onto a suitable mill runout 3, which preferably extends forwardly a sufficient distance to receive the full length of each piece de- 95 livered by said rolls 2, 2, so that the latters operation is independent of and unrelated to the operation of the subsequent roll stands at the far end of said runout.

Said subsequent standsof rolls, to which the initially reduced stock is delivered from runout 3, are here shown as adjacent pairs of two-high roll stands 4, 4 and 5, 5. The stands 4, 4 arranged for continuous operation, are preferably driven throu h suitable gearing from the same source 0 power as the roll stands 2, 2, as for instance, an adjustable speed electric motor 6, with inter osed reduction aring 7 to obtain the required low speeds. n the other hand,,the roll stands 5, 5, arranged to operate substantially continuously with reference to the stands 4, 4, are driven from an independent source of power, namely, as here shown, the separate and distinct adjustable speed electric motor 8. In other words each piece of stock delivered by the second roll stand 4 invariably enters its first end in the first roll stand 5 before its rear end leaves said second roll stand 4. The two sets of roll stands 4, 4 and 5, 5 constitute, as above described, the second section of the continuous provided with a plurality of independent rows of differently shaped passes, to glve such ouping of the mill, and are preferably VBOLLING MILL.

1923. Serial No. 650,381.

variety asmay be desired in the cross Section of the reduced material emerging therefrom. Sald material, as thus brought to an intermediate stage in its fabrication by a series of continuous rolling operations, is thereafter subjected, to any extent desired, to further reduction and elongation, through the medium of independent open roll stands, arranged and operating in the following manner A Y-transfer conveyingmechanism9 of well known construction receives the stock from the roll stands 5, 5, and provides theusual means, in the form ofskewed conveyor rolls 10, 10, for effecting the travel of received thereon in the opposite direction, so as to present the rear end of said piece to the pass of a standof open rolls 11 which are offset from the continuous part of the mill. The rolls of stand 11 are rotated in the opposite direction from the preceding rolls by means of suitable gearing connecting them preferably with the adjustable speed-electric motor 8, and each piece, as received thereby from the Y-transfer conveying mechanism 9, is projected onto a second oppositely arranged similar Y-transfer conveying mechanism 12, whose skewed conveyor rolls 1% procure the resumption of the forward travel of the piece. with its front end foremost.

Each piece is thus forwarded, for such further reduction as may be contemplated, to the stands of open rolls 14, 15 and 16,. any one of which is selectively available for finishing, in advance of projecting the pieces onto a runout 17, for delivery to a cooling bed or other receiving device, not shown. The stand of rolls 14 is preferably driven by suitable gearing from the adjustable speed electric motor 8, while the stands 15 and 16 are driven respectively by suitable independent motors 19 and 20, so that, while the tandem arrangement makes the three stands susceptible of operation in a continuous manner whenever desired, there is no obstacle to the formation of free loops in the material, as indicated, for example, at 21 and 22, and no handicap to the flexibility, and capacity for selective operation, which characterizes the arrangement.

each piece as It is to be notedthat the apparatus, as i flexibility and other disadvantages that such a mill usually must work under. By reason of dividing the drive of the continuously arranged stands 4, 4, 5, 5 there is no sacrifice of flexibility in this part of the mill, since by such arrangement, the number of roll stands that are mechanically geared together with fixed speed relations between them is limited in every case to two.

In other words, the fact that the two roll stands 5, 5, while disposed in continuous relation to the two roll stands 4, 4, are nevertheless independently driven, gives opportunity for wide variations in the draft which, under any given set of circumstances, it may be desired to have the stands 5, 5 exert on the stock in process of reduction.

For example, the draft of either or both of the two stands 5, 5 may be varied between zero and a maximum, depending upon the requirements of the particular kind of stock that is undergoing reduction; in the absence altogether of any reducing action by eitheror both of these two stands 5, 5, any stock that undergoes sufiicient roughing reduction in the preceding stands 2, 2 and 4, 4 can still be run out on the conveying mechanism 9, preliminary to its finishing by the non-continuous or open stands 11, 14, 15 and 16. Other stock may require more or less roughenin reduction, and this requirement can readl y be satisfied by making either or both of the stands 5, 5 effective, to any desiredextent, for rolling in continuous relation to the stands 4, 4.

I claim:

1. In a rolling mill, a plurality of alined stands of rolls arranged in juxtaposition for continuous operation with less spacing between said stands than the length of the stock passing therethrough, one group of said alined continuous stands being actuated from the same source as preceding rolls of said mill and another group of said alined continuous stands being actuated from the same source as succeeding non-continuous or open roll stands of said mill.

2. In a rolling mill, a plurality of alined stands of rolls arranged in juxtaposition for continuous operation with less spacing between said stands than the length of the stock passing therethrou h, other stands of rolls arranged in prece ing and succeeding noncontinuous relation to said alined continuous stands, and roll actuating means common to said receding stands and to a portion only of said alined continuous stands.

3. In a rolling mill, a plurality of alined stands of rolls arranged in juxtaposition for continuous operation with less spacing between said stands than the length of the stock passing therethrough, other stands of rolls in preceding and succeeding non-continuous relation to said aline continuous stands, and roll actuating mean common to 1. succeeding stands and to a portion only of said alined continuous stands.

4. In a rolling mill, a plurality of alined stands of rolls arranged in juxtaposition for continuous operation with less spacing between said stands than the length of the stock passing therethrough, other stands of rolls in preceding and succeeding non-continuous relation to said alined contmuous stands, a roll actuating means common to said prccedin stands and to a portion only of said aline continuous stands, and a second roll actuatin means common to said succeedin stands an to the remainder of said aline continuous stands.

5. In a rolling mill, a plurality of alined stands of rolls arranged in juxtaposition for continuous operation with less spacing between said stands than the length of the stock passing therethrough, an actuatin means common to a portion only of said alined continuous stands and to preceding non-continuous stands of the mill, and an independent adjustable speed electric motor for driving the remainder of said alined continuous stands.

6. The combination, with the roll stands of a roughing mill, of a plurality of alined roll stands arranged in juxtaposition for continuous operation on the product of said roughing mill, with less spacing between adjacent stands than the length of said product, a common actuating means for the roll stands of said roughing mill and one group of said alined continuous stands, and independent actuating means for another group of said alined continuous stands and for the succeeding open or non-continuous finishing stands of said mill.

7. The combination with a. plurality of alined roll stands arranged in juxtaposition for continuous operation with less spacing between said stands than the len h of the stock passing therethrough, of a p urality of open roll stands for operation on the product of said continuously arranged stands, and a common actuating means for said 0 en stands and a next preceding group, less t an the whole number, of said alined continuous stands, to drive them independently of others of said alined continuous stands.

8. A rolling mill having a plurality of airs of stands of alined rolls, arranged in juxtaposition for continuous operation, with less spacing between said pairs than the length of the stock passing therethrough, followed by at least three stands of open rolls, with the last pair of stands of continuous rolls and the next two stands of open rolls actuated independently of the other roll stands of said mill.

9. A rolling mill consisting of ei ht or more stands of two-high rolls, with t e last three stands arranged in tandem for continuous operation, the next preceding single lll 0 by less than the len h of the stock passing therethrough and being divided into two independently actuated grou s.

10. A rollin mill consisting of eight or more stands 0 two-hi h rolls, with the last 1 three stands arranged in tandem for continuous operation, the next preceding single stand for independent 0 ration, and the stands next preceding s'ai single stand for continuous operation, with the spacing between said continuously arranged stands less than the length of the steel: passing therethrough and an mdependent common actuating means for a pair of said last-mentioned continuous stands, said single stand, and one of the last three stands.

Dated this 27th day of June, 1923.

JEROME R. GEORGE. 

